Never say goodbye.
Yesterday was my last day in the Carat offices.
Whilst I’m not good at goodbyes, for the people who I’ve worked the most closely with, this isn’t saying goodbye, it’s just a reduction in the frequency of saying hello.
Leaving a business should be less like the end of a relationship, more like leaving someone home to go to university, being the proud beaming parent, excited that your child is taking hold of the next step in their development — whenever they come back to visit, you’ll open your arms gladly, you’ll look forward to hearing what they’ve learned, and in time benefit from their development too.
Abigail Freeman shared this HBR post on Leapers about the benefits of creating a post-employment alumni, and I know from experience the truth in this.
Our hyperconnected world is too small to expect you don’t take the stories and memories from one place to another, and the connections and networks you create build over your entire life.
I’ve made true friends (lovers and enemies too) in the course of my work, at Carat and the other organisations I’ve spent time in, and I look forward to making new friends in the new year, and nurturing the relationships from the past five years at too.
Au revoir.
